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Wednesday, 18 June 2014

Labour to hold debate over the 'battle of Orgreave'

On the 30th Anniversary of the ‘Battle of Orgreave’, the Labour party has pledged to hold a debate in the House of Commons in the coming weeks as part of the ‘Justice for the Coalfields’ campaign. The Labour party say they will:

Recognise the economic legacy of the pit closure programme in coalfield communities across the UK and call for continued regeneration and support;

Repeat the demand for an investigation into what happened at Orgreave;

And renew the call for the publication of all communications between the Government and the police at the time of the 1984-5 miners’ strike.

Labour say they have previously called for an apology from Conservative ministers for the "lies" by the Government of Margaret Thatcher at the time about the secret pit closure plan and for looking to deploy the Army Which was revealed by Cabinet papers released earlier this year under the 30 year rule.

Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Dugher , who is the leading the ‘Justice for the Coalfields’ campaign, commented: “What happened at Orgreave 30 years ago was a black day not just in South Yorkshire, but for coalfield communities across Britain – who saw their industry decimated after the strike. The devastating legacy of the pit closures is still being felt in coalfield areas. Serious structural, long-lasting and generational decay were created and recovering from this remains a massive challenge with more support and regeneration still needed.

Continuing Michael Dugher said: “Cabinet papers from the Thatcher government confirm how badly ministers treated the coalfield communities. We need a proper investigation into Orgreave. We need full transparency of Government communications with the police at the time of the strike. And we need to recognise the economic legacy of the pit closure programme in coalfield communities across the UK and provide support for regeneration. That’s why Labour will lead a House of Commons debate. Thirty years on from Orgreave, it’s time to get to the truth and for there to be justice for the coalfields.”